Ultraman: Dark Son of Krypton
by pointlessspike
Summary: We all know Superman as a symbol of hope. A beacon of restraint, of benevolent power. But what if that power wasn't benevolent? What if Superman was a born psychopath, incapable of feeling empathy, or guilt, or remorse? What would such a person do to get what they want, with the power of a God? And how would the human race survive a being?
1. Chapter 1

Clive Wesson's office was what you've expect from a lawyer. Shelves of books, a neat desk with a sheaf of paper on it, a table with a fax machine on it in the corner, and a tall potted plant in another corner. Dark oak panelling on the walls made it feel very stereotypical, and Clark wondered if that was the point- to give people exactly what they expect, to put them at ease. But then, given that people usually don't go into a lawyer's office feeling at ease, it was probably a good strategy.

Clark and his mother stepped inside, following Clive, as he sat at his desk and motioned for them to do the same. When they were sat opposite him, he gave Clark's mother a smile probably calculated to be reassuring. It faltered a little as he looked at Clark, but then quickly reasserted itself.  
Clark had that effect on the people he'd gone to school with. They heard stories about him, about his unusual strength and what happened to the people that upset him. He always just managed to stay out of trouble with the school, and there was never actual evidence of him doing anything wrong, but he nevertheless managed to make the entire school either avoid him or try their hardest to be his friend, depending on whether they wanted to climb the social ladder, which he was inveriably at the top of.

Clive interrupted Clark's musings by telling them, "You know that Jonathan was a proud man. He knew he was having heart problems, but I'm not sure if you knew, because he seemed intent on keeping it quiet. I don't think he told anyone aside from me, although obviously his doctor knew. Anyway, he updated his will a few months ago, when he first started having issues. This is how it reads."  
He began his lawyer spiel about what was going where. As it turned out, it ended up all going to Martha.  
Clive ended his reading by informing them that he'd written letters for each of them. Then he handed them the letter and said, "I'd suggest you read them in private."  
Clark didn't absorb anything else that was said. But as soon as they got back in the car, he opened the letter and read it.

To Clark

Clark, I've thought long and hard about what to write here. I know my life will probably end soon. And I don't know what to say to you, because I've had twenty years to try to help you to become a man with a normal life. To some degree, I think I've succeeded, but I don't know how long that will last. I know that you want to use your powers to do what you want, and get what you want. You were never like normal boys, physically or mentally. I've never seen you show compassion, or love, or any kind of empathy, that wasn't faked in order to manipulate someone. I hope I've made you see that goodness serves a purpose, and you're better off embracing it than not. But you've always had trouble with that.

There's nothing I can really do or say to stop you if you want to take everything the world has. All I can say is to please keep in mind what I've taught you. Please, be a good man. Take care of your mother, live a quiet life, and be happy.

All my love, Dad

Clark put the letter down and stared off into the distance. His mother asked him a question, but he didn't really hear it. She didn't repeat herself and he spent the rest of the twenty-minute journey back to the farm in a silence that was entirely external. Within, there was an unceasing turmoil as forced battled it out. One that wanted him to respect his father's wishes, and another side that said, "That's what you're supposed to think, not what you really think".

* * *

Over the coming days he dealt with the problem in the time-honored tradition used with problems everywhere- he ignored it. He was staying with his mother for a few days, so there was no pressure to do anything. His job in Metropolis would wait for him. He had started working as a low-level reporter for the Daily Planet. The job was often tedious, but it was what his dad wanted, for him to stay out of trouble.  
He spent his time as he often had before he'd left six months early, in a raised part of the barn, where he had a couch and a lot of his belongings. He was reading a book when he heard a car pull up outside. Someone got out and knocked on the door to the house. Clark recognised the voice of a girl he'd often spent time with when he'd lived here. Alicia Baker. He'd enjoyed her body, although not much else about her. Their relationship had been mostly sexual, although she told everyone he was her boyfriend. He didn't contradict her because he didn't much care as long as she said nothing when she found that he had been with other girls.  
Clark's mother directed her to the barn, and before long she was heading up the steps. Clark put the book down. She had always been one of his favorites, so he didn't mind the idea of another go with her.  
When she saw him sitting on the couch, she said to him, "Hi Clark. I'm sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man."  
Clark smiled at her. "Thanks. It's good to see you. How have you been?" He didn't care, of course. But people expected these niceties.  
"Good, I'm good. I just wanted to see how you were. To be honest, a lot of people are worried about you. Your father was always... uh..." she searched for words, probably trying not to offend him. Which meant that what she thought, was probably offensive. Clark's eyes narrowed. "He was what?"  
She frowned, and said, "He was always the only person that could control you."  
Clark gave a short, loud laugh, and leaned back on his seat. "So now everyone's worried about what I might do, right?"  
Alicia paused for a moment and then said, "I came here so that you know that I understand how hard this must be for you."  
Clark laughed again, then responded harshly, "Do you really? Do you really think you know anything about me? You never did, so why would you now? Let's be honest, Alicia, we were never the best of friends. We fucked. That's all. You know I can give it to you like no-one else can. That's why you're really here."  
Clark heard her heart start to race as he said this, and then she started backing away. "I shouldn't have come. You need time, I'm sorry, I'll go."  
Clark got up and said to her, "Sorry, please, wait. Don't go. I don't want to be alone."  
Alicia cocked an eyebrow. "That's why you're here, and not with your mother? You're manipulating me, like you do everyone. Goodbye."  
Suddenly, Clark was in front of her, holding her shoulder so she couldn't turn away. "You know you want to stay. You always enjoyed spending time with me. Come on, let's just relax on the couch, like old times."  
She struggled against his iron-hard grip and said, "I'm leaving. Let me go."  
He didn't, so she continued, "Imagine if your father could see you now."  
That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and his grip tightened until it was painful, and she sank to her knees. He shouted at her, "Don't! He's not here! He doesn't control me!"  
Alicia screamed in pain, until he released her a moment later, only to grab her by the throat and slam her against the wall. She started choking, but still managed to croak out, "Look at what you're doing!"  
He did. It was pointless. Holding back was pointless. He could have everything he could ever want, that he had ever wanted, if he wasn't afraid to act.  
So he acted. Enraged by her attempts to convince him into pacifism by using his dead father, he tightened his grip, further, and further, until he felt the bones in her neck snap. A moment later, he heard her heart stop beating.  
He let go and as she slid to the floor, he launched himself into the air, breaking through the barn roof and into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Clark sat down on his bed as soon as he got back to his apartment. It was done now. He'd made the decision and acted on it. There was no hiding from who and what he was any longer. He would have to announce himself to the world. Make it known what he could do. Show that he could take what he wanted. And the apartment was the first thing that needed to change. He hated the place, utterly. It was tiny, had a hole in one wall and the pipes made horrible sounds at night.

There was no reason for him to tolerate it now. He could have whatever he wanted, if he just went and took it. He could very easily go the bank and just break into their vault. No-one could stop him. That would also serve as a decent demonstration of his powers. Then he'd buy an apartment he actually liked. They'd come after him, of course, but he could deal with that later. Now was the time to be who he was meant to be.

* * *

Clark walked into his bank like he had many times before. It was a huge building, and there was a large room with people queuing to be seen. He wouldn't be joining them. He X-Rayed the building, and it didn't take long to find what he wanted- a room built out of metal, with only one door, also made out of metal. He looked to see the path through to the rest of the building and there was only door out of the lobby that he could see. No-one noticed the sound of the metal distorting and then snapping when he pushed his way through it.

No-one tried to stop him, either, as he headed through the building, striding purposefully down. It was a bank, after all, and there was enough security that, paradoxically, the security was relaxed and assumed that no-one would dare try to break in. There was no problem getting to the vault, which was locked up and guarded by a single man. Clark strode up to him, and the man only time to start asking, "Is there something I-" before Clark punched him in the face and he hit his head, hard, against the concrete wall behind him.

There was a security camera, as well, but Clark didn't bother with it. If they came, they came.

In fact, nothing happened for a little while. Clark had to figure out how to deal with the door, and stood there for a moment. He was concerned that if he attempted to just rip it out, the whole building could end up collapsing if it took load-bearing walls with it. He could try melting the door with his heat vision, but that could end up destroying the money inside.

He ended up deciding on a relatively subtle approach. He breathed cold air on the door, in around about the shape of a person. The metal froze, and he punched through it. Immediately an alarm started, which Clark ignored. Cracks formed in the rest of the area he'd hit and he kicked a couple of chunks through, then just burst through the door, full-bodied.

There were, as he'd hoped, stacks of paper notes in the room, bound by paper. He had a look around and found bags that he shoved the money into. He took four bags, which was all he could easily carry, and he estimated that it was around a hundred million dollars. Enough for now.

He heard footsteps pounding down the stairs behind him, and before they even got in sight of the broken door, he was gone.

It only took a couple of hours of research to find an apartment he wanted, then go there and offer to buy it, immediately, in cash, with the furniture included. They were out the following day, and he took his belongings by hand, which didn't take much doing.

* * *

One more day was all it took for him to get a pounding on his door and the shouted words, "POLICE! MISTER KENT, OPEN THE DOOR, NOW!"

This was it. This was when they would see firsthand what he could do to them. He opened the door with a smile on his face. "Is there something I can do for you?"  
Guns at the ready, the officer in the lead said to him, "Clark Kent, you're under arrest for the robbery of the Metropolis National Bank. Kneel on the ground with your hands on your head." She got out handcuffs and he grinned.  
"Those wouldn't hold me. Either you leave, or you will all die." He never lost his grin, but he did when she attempted to force him to turn around. He pushed her back against the wall, then shrugged and punched the officer that was on his right, and closest.  
The others started firing their weapons, the the bullets richocheted off him and hit one of them, so they stopped, shock on their faces.  
Clark grabbed the woman who had initially tried to arrest him, pressing her up against the wall and then firing his heat vision into her face. It was something he'd always wanted to do and was now glad to see what happened. She screamed as her skin burned and her eyes boiled. A moment later, she stopped screaming as the beam entered her brain, Clark still holding her against the wall.  
He noticed that bullets were bouncing off him again, and let go to take care of the others. He stepped over to one officer, who tried to hit him with his weapon, but before he could, Clark blew a blast of freezing-cold air on him, cold enough that his face froze solid. He fell to the ground, as Clark grabbed his pistol, turned to another of the officers, and shot him in the head. The man died instantly, and only one officer was left. He didn't try to fight, only turning to run as fast as he could.  
Clark grinned, deciding in that moment to have some fun and give the man something to remember. Make sure Clark was the thing he saw in his nightmares for decades.  
As soon as he turned a corner and was out of sight, Clark super-sped in front of him, and he bounced off Clark's body. He scrambled to get away, turned and ran again. Clark let him turn a couple of corners before appearing in front again. He said to the man, "You can't get away. And you can't kill me. All you can do is pray to whatever God you worship that I am merciful. Which is doubtful."  
Still, the man ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Clark let him get as far as the elevator before appearing in front of him again. As the man bounced off his frame once again, Clark said, "You know, I was going to kill everyone, but I've changed my mind. I'll let you live. For long enough that you get to tell the story. Make sure everyone knows what happened. One day, maybe I'll finish the job. Maybe not, uh..." he read the man's name tag, then X-Rayed him to see his badge. "Sergeant Cortez, badge number 84693."  
With Cortez still on the floor, Clark left at super-speed, so that he would appear to have simply disappeared without an explanation. Really all he did was go back to his apartment, then stop and laugh at the memory of the terrified look on the man's face.

But it was clear that he would need to do something more drastic if he was stop that from happening again. He would need to go on the offensive.


	3. Chapter 3

In the Oval Office, things were business as usual. Behind his desk sat President Marcus Martin, who listened as he was briefed on an event that had occurred a couple of days earlier. Apparently a man had come into a bank during the day, overpowered the guard at the vault, and proceeded to physically force his way in, with his bare hands. It had taken some time for people to come to terms with it, but eventually it had reached the President's ears. Apparently they were in process of apprehending the suspect now, or would have done half an hour ago, but it would be a little while until they heard anything.

It was suspicious and concerning, of course, but they had no idea of what was coming their way, until there was a great smashing sound from the roof, and something landed in the middle of the office. The couches were littered with debris, one piece striking the Secretary of State, while the Secretary of Homeland Security managed to escape harm.

Clark grinned at the President when he had time to process his surroundings, seeing a man and a woman on the floor before him, and the President now standing up behind his desk. He barely had time to get out, "Mister President, we need to talk," before the door slammed open and smartly-dressed men with guns burst in the room. Ten of them arrived with their weapons at the ready, and Clark didn't waste time. He let out a burst of heat vision, killing five of them and scarring the back wall of the office. The others opened fire, and Clark calmly strode over to the nearest and threw him at the next, hard enough to send them both smashing into one of the office's bulletproof windows, which cracked but didn't break.  
One of the others caught a stray bullet while they fired machine pistols at him. The next got a kick in the chest that sent him into a wall with a sickening crack.  
With the last, Clark grabbed him by the shoulders and physically tore him apart, blood and viscera flying everywhere, bones from half a skeleton visible. Messier than Clark had hoped for, but being covered in blood certainly got his point across.

The three others left in the office were too shocked to say anything for a moment, so Clark started. "Here's the deal. I want immunity from all prosecution. Until I get that. I will kill and keep killing. I'll go after your families, and trust me, nowhere is safe. I'll bring them back here and torture them in front of you in all sorts of fun ways. In exchange, you'll get my very generous protection from your foreign adversaries."

President Martin finally got it together enough to tell him, in a voice meant to sound resolute, "We don't negotiate with terrists."  
Clark laughed, a sound that was truly chilling to hear. "That's fine. There's no room for negotiation here. You can't do anything to me. I have all the leverage. I'm asking for your unconditional surrender."

Wilson scowled. "This isn't a game, son. You're talking like we're at war. Do you really want to be at war with the most powerful nation on the planet? Even if bullets can't hurt you, we'll find a way."  
Clark shrugged. "Maybe. I like my chances, though. And by the time you did find a way to hurt me, I'd have killed more people than you'd save. I'll never stop, and I can do it incredibly easily. I can go to a school and burn it down. Punch through the supports of a skyscraper and kill thousands. Bring down a bridge with people still on it. All in a matter of minutes."

He waited a moment for that to sink in, then said, "So. What's your response?"  
"We need time to...", the President started, before Clark interrupted, "No time. You sign an executive order right now, or I do something you won't like."

The President calmly reached for his pen and a blank piece of paper. Clark dictated what he should write, and then the President said to him, "This won't be legally binding. The Supreme Court decides what laws are upheld, not me. I don't have control over them."  
Clark smiled. "They'll come around when the ones that don't vote my way start dying."

* * *

THE UNTOUCHABLE AND UNRELENTING ULTRAMAN

That was the alliteration-loving headline of the newspaper Clark took from the stand. Everybody knew about it now. Everyone recognised him and stayed clear of him, allowing him to take what he wanted. An event of that magnitude was one that nobody could miss. People couldn't quite believe it, he could tell, but they still gave him what he wanted.

It was only an Executive Order, of course. There were all sorts of questions of the legality of it (most people agreeing it was illegal), and Clark suspected he would need to strike the fear of him into the decision-makers. But for now, nobody questioned him. The police didn't come back, except to clear up the mess in the corridor.

The question was what Clark would do next. He could afford to pay women a significant amount to be with him, so he realistically could have anyone he wanted, which was a paralyzing choice. He also wanted to get some servants, as he still had to do his own shopping. Maybe he could combine the two goals? He grinned as he read through the article while eating a hot dog from another stand, all while sitting on top of a traffic light.

There would probably be those who would resist. Some kind of resistance movement. But as long as the promise to punish the populace was upheld, the humans would police one another. And he could live like his Kryptonian parents sent him to live- like a God, served by the primitive people of Earth.  
The name Ultraman was cool, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Kara Zor-El awoke slowly from a deep sleep. Her eyes opened but it took a while to register what she was seeing- a window, and beyond that, a starry night. It was familiar... she searched her memory. That was what she had seen when she went to sleep. After Krypton had exploded. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered. Her people, her home, gone. All dead. Her parents had put her on that ship to save her, one of the only two remaining Kryptonians in existence.  
She wiped her eyes. Now wasn't the time to mourn. She had to figure out what to do now. She was on planet Earth, a place she knew next to nothing about other than that the people were physically similar to Kryptonians. She was an adult, twenty-three years old, so with any luck she would be able to get some kind of work, especially if it was in a scientific field. She'd also have to find Kal, who must have arrived at the same time. She'd have to figure it out as she went. A daunting prospect, but it wasn't like she had a choice.

No excuses now. She had to move. Kara reached up and pressed the button to open the pod. There was a hissing noise and the cool, Kryptonian-normal air was replaced by the sent of... green. That was the best word she could think of to describe it. But it was also a cold night, and the air dropped several degrees. Oddly enough, it didn't bother her in the least.

She pulled herself up out of the pod, feeling oddly energised and strong. She had always been physically fit, but this was different. She barely had to put any effort in to move.  
The pod had landed in a rural area, clearly. The world around her was anything but silent, though. She listened for any signs of civilisation, and as she did she found she could hear everything. Too much. Insects all around her. From somewhere, a dog barked. Clearly far away, yet easily audible to her. And... something else. The sound of an engine, although one unlike any she'd heard. It was getting closer.

Kara wondered if perhaps the authorities of this world had detected her approach. But supposedly the people here were primitive, so she didn't know how they'd respond to her. Her uncle Jor-El had given her some basic fighting lessons when she was younger, but she wouldn't be able to fight the authorities of this world. She might have been able to pretend to be one of them, if not for the fact that she was wearing Kryptonian clothes, silver with the symbol for the house of El emblazoned on her chest. She had to hope they wouldn't hurt her.

Several black vehicles came into view and stopped around the pod. People exited them, and Kara's heart caught in her throat. They looked so much like Kryptonians! But the clothes, and the vehicles, clearly marked them as not being like the people she loved. They wore what looked like some kind of armour, also black, with what had to be weapons pointed at her.

All except one. One man wore some other kind of clothing, blue and white. It looked smart and efficient, clearly civilised. He was clearly older, with a bald head, and he told the others to lower their weapons. The words sounded odd, but thanks to a cybernetic implant she was able to understand him effortlessly.  
He spoke to her directly. "We mean you no harm. Do you understand me?"  
Kara nodded, feeling some relief but still guarded.  
He continued affably, with a smile, "Welcome to planet Earth."  
Kara didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. The man held out his right hand to her and told her, "I'm Lex Luthor."  
She held out her hand in a similar manner, not sure what the protocol was, but he took it and shook it gently. "Kara Zor-El," she told him.  
Lex let go and smiled wider. "It's good to meet you, Miss Zor-El."  
"Kara is fine," she replied. "Are you an ambassador or something?"  
Lex laughed. "No. We have to keep our government far away from you. I'll explain in the car, if you don't mind? I'm a little concerned about others finding this site."  
Kara frowned. "I'm not going anywhere with you without knowing why."  
Lex sighed and told her, "There's someone else here. Somewhere who we think is from your planet."  
That got a gasp. "Kal."  
Lex looked surprised. "Yes, actually. Kal-El arrived here about twenty-eight years ago."  
"Twenty-eight years? But... I was supposed to look after him," Kara said, now thinking that he'd been there for decades, all alone.  
"He can take care of himself. In fact, he's been... a problem for us. The government is under his control. That's why we need to leave. If he found you he'd probably kill you."  
Kara's eyes narrowed. "Kal is my cousin. He'd never hurt me."  
Lex gave her a sad look. "I'm afraid you might not know him as well as you think. He was a baby when he arrived. But as an adult he takes what he wants from our people and doesn't care whom he hurts."  
"I don't understand. How can he do that?"  
Lex took a moment to process her question, then responded, "I think your parents neglected to mention some things. Best we can tell, the sun this planet orbits gives your cells a lot of energy. It makes you, and Kal, stronger than us. A lot stronger. It gives you abilities beyond anything we've seen before. He uses brute force to kill our people. With one punch he can kill, he can defy the planet's gravity with ease, he has many other abilities as well. I'm guessing you're the same. We have far more to fear from you than you from us."  
Kara tried to absorb this, but she only had a moment before Lex interrupted her. "We do need to leave, Kara. I promise you, I'll explain everything, and then you can do what you want. Not that we could stop you."  
He turned and walked towards the vehicle he'd arrived in. Kara hesitated a moment, then followed. As he entered, Lex told the others, "Pack it up. We'll take it with us."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note:

Originally this story was meant to be an exploration of psychopathy, and perhaps a perverse fascination with what Superman could really do to people if he wanted to, which is something that's not been explored much. I've literally just been doing it on my lunch break at work, so this is how much I can churn out in exactly an hour. It turns out I'm getting into it, so I'll probably see this through to the end. Not a full-length novel, but still, expect a few more chapters and some closure.

* * *

Kara had never been in a vehicle like Lex's car. She could feel the bumps in the road, as well as acceleration and deceleration, which was an odd feeling. Clearly they hadn't invented inertial dampeners and the wheels meant they were at the mercy of the terrain, which was essentially a dirt path.  
Lex told her, "You landed in a town called Smallville. It's where your cousin landed as well. He was found by a couple, the Kents, and raised as Clark Kent. Now he goes by a name the media gave him. Ultraman."  
Kara watched his face as he said this. Very matter-of-fact, until he said the name Ultraman. Like it was worthy of contempt. That seemed to sum up his feelings on Kal.  
She looked out of the window to watch as they came onto a road, which made the ride much smoother. And, of course, she listened.  
"Clark became Ultraman a few years ago. It happened when his father died. His mother and schoolfriends say that his father was always able to keep Clark under some level of control. But when his father died, he stopped obeying any rules at all. He robbed a bank, and when arrested, he killed the officers. All but one, so he could tell people about him. Then he went straight to our head of state and demanded that the country bow to his will."  
Kara looked back to Lex and asked, "So how do you know about where he comes from? And who are you?"  
"I'm in charge of one of the largest corporations on this planet, LexCorp. My father founded it. Everyone would like to stop Ultraman, but few have actually committed any resources to the task. No personal benefit in it for them. I've dedicated everything I have to it. Because while at the moment he just lives a luxurious life and doesn't do much more than that, I'm concerned at what he could do if he wanted. With your help, we have a chance. But we know about him because he has an installation of some sort in the North Pole. He came with some kind of crystal, which was programmed to create a structure which serves as a part of Krypton. There's information in the computers there on everything. Where he comes from, Krypton, all of it. Masses of information that we're still analyzing. Unfortunately there's not much on how his powers on Earth work. Just some very brief historical records. It seems the Kryptonians who came to Earth didn't want it to get out, so they kept it all quiet. That's why we need you, to help fill in the blanks. You're new here, so I wouldn't expect you go up to him and fight him, but if we can get samples from you, that would be invaluable. We can't get them from him without him being aware of what we're doing.  
"Will you kill him? If I help you?"  
Lex hesitated before answering, then responded, "Yes, if there's no other option. If we can we'll just depower him and lock him up. But I'm not sure that will be possible. And I can't overstate how dangerous he is. If there's any chance that a non-lethal attack will fail, we have to go for the lethal option. He's already killed thirty-six people and if we try to bring him down and fail, he'll probably kill a lot more, as a deterrant."  
Kara looked out of the window again as they passed through an inhabited area. Buildings made of brick passed them by as she said quietly, "Thank you for being honest."  
A moment of silence passed before Kara told Lex, "I need to see proof that he is who you say."  
He nodded and took a small black device from his pocket. A computer. As he interacted with it, he said, "This is from when the police tried to arrest him. The whole thing was recorded. It's fairly gruesome."  
Kara nodded and watched as it started. She saw the initial conversation and then, when the policewoman attempted to physically force him, his response. She watched in horror as he attacked them, and looked away when the camera showed him emanating some kind of energy from his eyes. She could still hear the scream though, and tears rolled down her cheeks when it was suddenly cut off. She told Lex, "Stop."  
He put the device away and said to her quietly, "I'm sorry. That you've lost your cousin to... this."  
Kara didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say, and just felt immense grief at the monster her cousin had become. Lex told her, "We only found the information on Krypton a few months ago. We still don't know much about your people, or why Kal is the way he is. When I came to meet you, I was afraid you might be the same."  
Kara shook her head vigorously. She tapped the symbol on her chest. "This means hope. Our family was supposed to represent the best qualities of our planet. We're scientists, meant to find ways to help people."  
A moment passed before Lex told her, "He's become a symbol for the opposite. When he showed up, it became difficult to feel anything but despair. People shouldn't have the power that your people have here. They shouldn't be able to do the things you can do, without any kind of limit."  
Kara didn't know how she felt about that. If Kal had been who she had hoped, perhaps they could have helped the people of Earth.

But maybe Lex was right. Perhaps nobody should have that much power.


	6. Chapter 6

Reverend Patrick Harris stepped to the microphone on a stageset at the front of a massive crowd. Or, at least, they seemed massive to the person they had all come to hear. They all seemed to be eagerly awaiting whatever he had to say, expecting the Reverend's usual fire and brimstone that had made him so popular. Harris made sure they'd get it.  
"The beast has risen. We all know that. The federal government has become something we never wanted to see. It's powerful, it's corrupt, and it's dangerous to the decent people of this great country. The pious, the faithful and the merciful are being crushed beneath it. It attempts to give us the mark of the beast, to dictate our lives to us. I've come before you because I want to try to find a way to stop that.  
"We have a way. A sign that's been right in front of us the whole time. Scripture has already given us the solution. Christ comes when we need him the most, and he has come! The mainstream media calls him Ultraman, but he can be no-one else but Christ himself, come to tear down the beast and usher the righteous to heaven!"  
The crowd have been expecting something like this for a while. There have been mutterings to this effect for a while, but no-one quite so open about it. This was where they'd see if it flew.  
Harris continued, "We have for centuries kept man's law and God's law separate, but that time has now passed. God is on Earth, and He is here to bring his wrath upon the corrupt, the blasphemous and the obscene. He has shown that he will not tolerate it any longer!"  
Now to explain everything else they're hearing about him. "Some would say he is the devil, but the Father of Lies is working through his servants to mislead you. They resist Christ's return and God's vengeful wrath, to keep their infested institutions.  
"I will not stand for it. I will use their own works against them and stand in the United States Senate and support our Lord. We are all being tested now, to see which of us will stand by our messiah as he delivers us from evil. Which of you will stand with me?"  
He got an enthusiastic cheer. "We need to show them that we will not tolerate them any more than Ultraman does. We need to show them that their time has come and we will bring down the beast with our Lord. Use your voice and vote for your own salvation!"  
His speech done, Harris went through the pleasantries for a while. The metaphorical kissing of babies, although occasionally it was literal.

When the event was over, Harris got into his limo to head back to the hotel where was staying. He was shocked to find his "messiah" waiting for him in the car.  
Ultraman wore his customary purple and black suit and cape, emblazoned with the U symbol he'd embraced. Harris had never met him before, in any capacity, so this was a surprise. But perhaps, given his speech, it shouldn't have been.  
Ultraman gave him a slow clap. "Very well done. You're very convincing. Of course the idea has more holes than substance, but you manage to make it sound almost plausible."  
Harris didn't take long to decide whether to go with honesty or fake belief. This was not a man he wanted to piss off. "There are holes in every religious belief. That's why faith exists. As long as they one-up one another on who's the truer believer, it doesn't much matter."  
Ultraman grinned. "You humans. You never cease to amaze me. Anyway, I just came to say that as you have my back, I have yours."  
He handed Harris a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Call if you need anything. I quite like the idea of being worshipped like a God, so if you can make this fly, you'll get whatever you want."  
With that, he told the driver to stop the car, and left.  
Harris' heart took a few minutes to stop racing. He had been somewhat afraid that Ultraman might decide to just kill him for using him to accelerate his political ambitions. But this was the best outcome he could have hoped for. Next stop, the Capitol Building.

* * *

Lex and Kara's destination, as it turned out, was a research facility in Smallville itself. Lex has set it up to look into Ultraman and Krypton itself. It was an impressive building, and as they walked in Lex told her about it. "We had hoped to be able to replicate his abilities, and set up testing facilities for that eventuality. We never got there, but it'll be perfect for you. We have a wind tunnel, a blast chamber, a vacuum freezer, an experimental treadmill to testing ground speed, a firing range, and other areas. But first thing's first, I'd like our doctors to give you a full physical. And, uh, a change of clothes."  
Kara looked down at her silver jumpsuit. "What's wrong with this?"  
"I'm still trying to keep Ultraman from seeing you, and that symbol, if he saw it, would tell him everything he needs to know. I'd be grateful if you could wear something a little less obvious. I'm sure someone has a change of clothes for you."  
He took her to a room that instantly reminded Kara of medical facilities on Krypton. It turned out that sterile white looks the same no matter which galaxy you're in.  
A woman was in there already, wearing a white coat and a mask that held lenses to her eyes. Perhaps for correcting faulty vision? She was a fairly pretty brunette, a little older than Kara, but not by much.  
Lex told Kara, "This is Macy Down. She's the head of this facility. She'll be conducting the testing. Carefully."  
Macy held out her hand to Kara, and when she shook it, said to her, "Sorry, I should remember you're not from around here."  
Kara smiled. "I'll get used to it. Nice to meet you."  
"I'll leave you two. Keep me updated," Lex told Macy, who nodded.  
When he'd left, she replied to Kara, "Nice to meet you too. I tried to find some clothes in the facility to fit you based on the pictures from the landing site. I completely failed. None of the women here have your... um... proportions. Do you mind if I take some measurements?"  
Macy ended up taking all sorts of measurements. Height, weight, and specific anatomical measurements as well. She passed them along to an assistant and told her, "Get some clothes from town, please. Nothing fancy."  
With that done, she told Kara, "Now I just need some samples, or at least the ones we can get at. Please, sit."  
Kara sat on a chair while Macy grabbed some tools. This would probably be undignified, but these people had treated her well thus far, so she could tolerate that.


	7. Chapter 7

Lex and Kara's destination, as it turned out, was a research facility in Smallville itself. Lex has set it up to look into Ultraman and Krypton itself. It was an impressive building, and as they walked in Lex told her about it. "We had hoped to be able to replicate his abilities, and set up testing facilities for that eventuality. We never got there, but it'll be perfect for you. We have a wind tunnel, a blast chamber, a vacuum freezer, an experimental treadmill to testing ground speed, a firing range, and other areas. But first thing's first, I'd like our doctors to give you a full physical. And, uh, a change of clothes."  
Kara looked down at her silver jumpsuit. "What's wrong with this?"  
"I'm still trying to keep Ultraman from seeing you, and that symbol, if he saw it, would tell him everything he needs to know. I'd be grateful if you could wear something a little less obvious. I'm sure someone has a change of clothes for you."  
He took her to a room that instantly reminded Kara of medical facilities on Krypton. It turned out that sterile white looks the same no matter which galaxy you're in.  
A woman was in there already, wearing a white coat and a mask that held lenses to her eyes. Perhaps for correcting faulty vision? She was a fairly pretty brunette, a little older than Kara, but not by much.  
Lex told Kara, "This is Macy Down. She's the head of this facility. She'll be conducting the testing. Carefully."  
Macy held out her hand to Kara, and when she shook it, said to her, "Sorry, I should remember you're not from around here."  
Kara smiled. "I'll get used to it. Nice to meet you."  
"I'll leave you two. Keep me updated," Lex told Macy, who nodded.  
When he'd left, she replied to Kara, "Nice to meet you too. I tried to find some clothes in the facility to fit you based on the pictures from the landing site. I completely failed. None of the women here have your... um... proportions. Do you mind if I take some measurements?"  
Macy ended up taking all sorts of measurements. Height, weight, and specific anatomical measurements as well. She passed them along to an assistant and told her, "Get some clothes from town, please. Nothing fancy."  
With that done, she told Kara, "Now I just need some samples, or at least the ones we can get at. Please, sit."  
Kara sat on a chair while Macy grabbed some tools. This would probably be undignified, but these people had treated her well thus far, so she could tolerate that.

* * *

Kara's new clothes were very strange to her. She was used to nanotech suits that were far more advanced than the primitive fibers humans wore. The clothes were itchy and felt heavy on her. Still, as she looked in the bathroom mirror, she had to admit it didn't look too bad on her. She had no idea what they were called, but they showed a little more skin than she was used to, but managed to be a bit more modest as they didn't cling to her body as tightly.

After the physical Macy's assistant had come by to deliver the clothes and show Kara the facilities. It seemed she wouldn't have much privacy outside of the bathroom- they simply didn't have any kind of quarters in the facility, just science labs, so she'd be sleeping in what amounted to a hospital bed. Still, it could be worse- they at least had showers on-site.

Kara headed back to the medical lab, finding Lex waiting there for her, talking to Macy. Kara could hear them talking even though she was some distance away. "-unfortunate that it'll take so long. Is there no way to speed it up?"  
"Not without potentially harming her."  
Lex frowned and told her, "I wonder if it's worth skipping certain classes if we don't get a result with other-"  
Kara entered the room and Lex stopped mid-sentence. "That's much better."  
He looked to the side for a moment and continued, "What I meant by that is that you look fairly normal. Admittedly not for this facility, but it shouldn't immediately make someone think 'alien'. Anyway, we were just discussing your testing."  
"I heard," Kara said, slightly concerned. "Is there some risk to me?"  
Macy waved her hands, "No, not at all. We're being very careful. But, well, uh-"  
Lex took over the explanation. "We're going to test how your body responds to poisons that would harm humans. Starting with small doses and working our way up. But that, and the rest of the tests, do hold some risk. At the end of the day, we need to find your vulnerabilities. There's no way to avoid risking your health. But we'll do our best."

Kara frowned. She was starting to wonder if Lex really cared about her well-being at all, or if he'd be happy for her to die if it meant finding a way to beat Ultraman.

* * *

First were environmental tests. Kara was taken to chambers exposing her to heat, cold, atsmopheric pressure, and vacuum. Kara had no problem with the hazards themselves, but she did need to be naked, which made her feel more than a little uncomfortable. She also started to think Macy was attracted to her. Every time she got close while Kara was naked, her heart rate increased (surprising Kara that she could even hear it). But she chose to ignore it.

The next tests were where she would literally have them firing guns at her, and setting off explosions in her face. Nothing hurt her, although she ended up in desperate need of a shower, covered as she was in soot.

After that were tests of her abilities. Her hearing, sight, and smell proved to be extremely good, although they did have their limits. But they were better than any creature on Earth. Her strength was good enough that they had to stop the strength test after she nearly brought the building down. The windtunnel was cool, but she had trouble flying. After a couple of hours they decided to give it a rest and move on. The same was true of her heat vision and x-ray vision- abilities they had seen Ultraman use, but failed to get out of Kara. They moved on to the treadmill- which proved that her speed, again, exceeded the limits of the equipment to measure it. Her reaction times were similarly excellent.

They spent over twelve hours on it, and at the end, they decided that the following day they'd start on the poisons. That would take a while, but in the meantime Kara was going to help Lex with his research into Krypton in general and seeing if there was anything from the Kryptonian computer that might be helpful. Lex seemed more than a little frustrated at how invulnerable she seemed to be. Kara knew that was because he wanted to get rid of Ultraman, but it was hard not to feel like he was trying to kill her.

The only thing Kara knew was that they had to be better than the man she'd seen, melting a woman's face, looking like he enjoyed every moment.


	8. Chapter 8

This is more than a little political- a necessity given the subject. I've drawn from a real-world example, one which I'm pretty sure you'll recognise. I hope you find it both enlightening and entertaining.

* * *

There was a lot of chatter among the crowd of journalists that had gathered. This was the first time any of them had seen Ultraman in person, as well as the first time he'd ever been on camera on purpose. There was a certain level of fear there. He was an unpredictable individual, one who could kill them all in a moment. But this was a moment of important history, and they might get answers to questions people had which they simply could not answer. The major news networks were all there, and the excitement was palpable. The air was rife with speculation. What would he say? Why had he called a press conference? Was he about to try to take total control of the government?

Their speculation was interrupted by a thudding noise at the podium. Ultraman had landed, and they all immediately went quiet, often mid-word.  
Ultraman spoke. "Thank you all for coming," he started. You could have smelled the anticipation on the air.  
There have been a lot of rumours about me, and many people misunderstand the events that occurred a few years ago, when I first went public. I'm going to address that.  
"Many see me as some kind of alien. They are afraid of me partly because they don't realise that I'm not that different from them. I grew up in Kansas. I went to school, I had friends, and I had parents that cared for me. This is well-known, but it means something. It means that I see what everyone else does. I see the government for what it is, an entity corrupted by people seeking wealth, filled with opportunists and those that want to manipulate the public for their own gain. The difference between me and most people is that I have the power to do something about it. I am able to confront them head-on and say that it's not acceptable. But the only thing I can't control is public opinion, which has manipulated by those that control the media. The truth is that those police officers were working for corrupt officials. They were far from innocent, and I had to send a message to show everyone what I can do, so they know they can't stop me. But despite my best efforts to use force to stop them, they perisst. The corruption is still there, and I'm going to continue to try to root them out, but I'll be working with others instead of doing it on my own.

He paused, then a man beside him told the crowd, "We'll be taking questions now."  
The crowd erupted, and he picked a journalist from CNN, who asked, "What about the bank robbery?"  
Ultraman replied, "Didn't happen. It was invented to give the police a pretext to arrest me."  
Next question, from NBC News. "Do you regret killing the officers, given that you didn't have to?"  
"I did have to. It was important to show them that I wouldn't just shut up. I wouldn't stop trying to bring them down. I wouldn't disappear like everyone else that uncovers what they're up to."  
Next from BBC News. "Why did you kill Alicia Baker?"  
I didn't. That was set up to make it look like I killed her. That was their first attempt to frame me."  
Last question, from Fox News: "What do you plan on doing, specifically?"  
"I'll be gathering others that want to remove this corruption. Those that want to purify our political entities. We need to remove them from our government, and once that's done, if they ask, I'll step away."

No more questions were answered. Ultraman launched himself straight up into the air, leaving behind people that were totally amazed at what he'd said. Minds reeling, thinking about the articles they'd be writing, and follow-up articles analyzing the implications for his claims, and who would believe them. And even more, when he was taking action, discerning what was happening and what the result would be.  
And of course, the question remained, was this, in fact, exactly what they suspected, that he was simply trying to get more power? And would the public even believe the media he'd just maligned when they told everyone that this was a power grab?

* * *

Ultraman arrived back on the balcony of his penthouse apartment, where his team were waiting. Public relations people, who he'd paid an obscene amount of money to help him make the public doubt the media and allow politicians to support him, by using what they already believed.

They sucked up to him, of course. They knew he liked his ego stroked, and told him it was masterfully delivered. But what he wanted to know was whether people would believe it. They assured him it would, but he trusted his own judgement more than theirs and had his doubts. What he'd said ran contrary to everything he'd done previously. He'd never shown any interest in the welfare of the people. Would they believe him when he said he was doing it for them?

Still, it was remarkably easy. So many of these humans were such idiots that he could easily sow doubt just by outright lying. They were so used to politicians being careful not to be caught out, that if you just flooded them, they'd fold. And if you made one of the lies that the media was lying to them, they'd have to make a choice between you and everyone else. It was beautiful.

He soon tired of talking to them, and shooed them away. He called his chef and had him prepare his lunch. It was a fun game, manipulating people like that. He didn't have to do it, but it was honestly the most fun he'd had in years. Lying in such an obvious way, and knowing that the people he was talking to didn't believe him, but also knowing that some would, and it would be enough to get him far more control over people.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note:

I admit that this chapter exists purely because I wanted more of a scientific basis for Kryptonian powers and vulnerabilities. I love going into detail about stuff like this and do it in my novels frequently. Hopefully you'll find it interesting.

* * *

Lex found Kara to be extremely intelligent and very good with a number of scientific fields. She was also enthusiastic about the subject, and as they talked they found themselves frequently having to drag themselves back to the matters at hand. Lex found her intriguing in general, and if he had been twenty years younger he would probably have made a pass at her. But there wasn't much time for that anyway. They were trying to find out all they could about where Kryptonian powers came from, and anything that might help. Kara took him through what Kryptonian weapons technology was available- obviously she didn't know how build it off the top of her head, but she was able to point him to where in the Kryptonian computer that information might be held. She was, of course, concerned about giving the humans advanced weapons technology, but given that she didn't really have very good control over her powers, she doubted very much that she could face Kal-El.

The problem with using Kryptonian technology was that, as it turned out, there were a number of intermediary steps to take in order to build it. Lex knew it would take years or even decades before they were at that level. So they continued to look at Kryptonian biology instead.

Eventually, they decided to take a break, and Lex asked Kara about Krypton itself. She told him about the Krytonian cities Argo City and Kandor, and about Kryptonian history, and, of course, the subject turned to the destruction of Krypton. "I told you that we abandoned our colonies and retreated back to Krypton. Well, we didn't stop needing the materials that we used to mine off-world. Our people mined Krypton itself. We had bans in place to stop it, once, but things changed. There were minerals we used as power sources, which couldn't be found in many places. Krypton was such a rich source that they called it Kryptonite. It emitted radiation that had odd effects on us, depending on the form, so we had to take precautions, but in the end the amount we mined was just excessive. Scientists like my father and Jor-El warned the Council of what would happen as soon as we started having seismic disturbances in the planet's crust, but nobody listened. All they had time for was to build small pods that could get me and my cousin off-planet."  
Lex said nothing for a minute, just looking into the distance. Eventually he told her, "Tell me about this mineral, Kryptonite."  
"As I said, it had odd effects. We generally divided it based on colour. Green Kryptonite was the most common, and made us extremely weak. Eventually it would kill us. Red Kryptonite would affect us mentally. It would cause us lose all our inhibitions, like being drunk. Gold did nothing until it got in your blood, and then the only effect we could see was that it killed off all the rorterat in your cells. We could reverse it, though. But we had to do it quickly or we'd die."  
Lex frowned. "You used a word there. Rorterat?"  
Kara looked surprised that he didn't know it. "Maybe you don't have that? It's a component that absorbs radiation. Normally from Rao, our sun."  
Lex looked like he'd had an idea. He asked Kara, "What color is Rao, Kara?"  
"It's a red supergiant. Why?"  
He smiled. "You haven't been outside during the day, have you?"  
Kara looked puzzled. They had light coming through the windows, but she'd never actually been outside. "No. Why?"  
Lex kept smiling. "Our sun is yellow. A G-type main-sequence yellow star. And you're saying you can absorb radiation with organs we don't have."  
"Huh. That might explain our powers. But how does that help us?"  
Lex grinned widely. "Because of what you just said. That Kryptonite radiation. If it is absorbed the same way solar radiation is, we have a weapon which is dangerous to Kryptonians but not to humans!"  
Kara looked thoughtful for a minute, then repied, "That might work. There's just one problem. Krypton is gone."  
Lex didn't lose his grin. "Come with me."  
As he led her through the facility, he told her, "At the time that Ultraman's pod crashed on Earth, there were also meteorite strikes in Smallville. They ended up in museums and on geologists' tables but it wasn't until Ultraman showed his powers that we started to take a closer look. We found all the types you mentioned. I'm not sure how they came with the pod, though."  
Kara shrugged. "The phantom drive probably took them with it when it transitioned into subspace. I think my pod was knocked off course and had to recorrect, which would explain why mine didn't pick up any."  
Lex led her to a room with radiation symbols on the doorframe. "We've been testing the effects of the radiation on animals. There seem to be no short-term effects."  
Kara told him, "Green Kryptonite's effects only lasted a few seconds past exposure. You can test it on me if you like."  
Lex cocked an eyebrow. "You're sure?"  
"Yeah, it was part of Geology class. They gave us samples and told us not to open them, but someone always did. It's painful, but only temporary."

Lex led her to a room with green Kryptonite in it. "Be my guest."  
Kara walked in. She had no idea what effect it would have, being on Earth, but- she immediately felt the pain of it wash over her. She doubled over and had to brace against the doorframe as she came in. Then she quickly backed out, and a moment later, the pain faded and she turned back to Lex, who was beaming. "We have our weapon."


	10. Chapter 10

The elevator up to Ultraman's apartment seemed interminably slow. The building was empty, of course. It had been designated a hazard to be anywhere near the Kryptonian since shortly after he'd killed the police officers. But now two people were there specifically to meet him. The two people he'd most like to kill, and they were delivering themselves to him. But they had an advantage- the element of surprise, in multiple ways. Surprise that someone would even try to attack him, and surprise that they had a way to make it work.  
Kara had a dagger hidden on her person, one that, if it came into contact with Ultraman, would stop his cells from being able to absorb radiation. His powers would slowly fade until he was just like everyone else, and would finally stand trial for his actions.

It was nerve-wracking for both of them, and they would be worried about Ultraman hearing their heartbeats, except that every visitor he had presumably felt the same way. In a way, they were lucky. No-one would think to check them for weapons, given that no-one thought any weapons could hurt him. It was perfect.

The door to the corridor opened and they were met by an assistant- a buxom brunette that greeted them with a completely false smile. "Welcome, Mr. Luthor! This way, please."  
Kara was posing as Lex's aide, and wore clothes that were smart, but not too formal. Lex was wearing a suit, but then he'd been wearing suits all along anyway.

When they reached the apartment, they were surprised by two bodyguards, who stopped them. They were both large, muscular men that were intimidating even to Kara, though she knew they stood no chance against her. "Hold out your arms, please," one instructed them.  
Kara's mind raced. They wanted to search them? But why?  
Lex replied, "Is that really necessary? It's not like we can hurt him."  
Ultraman appeared behind the bodyguards. "But that's not really true, is it?"  
Lex and Kara looked at each other, and Kara reached behind her while simultaneously pushing her way through the bodyguards. She readied the dagger, and Ultraman waited until she was close, then dodged to the side and shoved her, pushing her into a wall. While she was recovering, he punched her, hard, in the face. Her head slammed into the expensive wood panel of the wall, splintering it. The punch made a loud crack, like thunder. He hit her again, and again, and when he was done she tasted blood and collapsed to the floor, dazed. Ultraman grabbed the dagger from where it had fallen, then kicked Kara in the face. Not done, he grabbed her by her shirt and dragged her back to the bodyguards. They held her up by the arms. Ultraman told Lex, "You shouldn't have brought my cousin into this. But I suppose it would have happened sooner or later."  
He grinned at Lex, then in one smooth movement, swung the dagger, which cut through Kara's throat. Blood fountained from her, and Ultraman stepped back to avoid it getting on him. He watched her eyes widen as she realised what he'd done, and then as her life flowed from her, close. Ultraman nodded to the guards, and they released her. Slowly, a pool of crimson formed around her body.  
Clark cocked his head to the side, listening, then after a pause told Lex, "And... there. It seems I'm the last of my people."

Lex didn't bother making any futile moves to try to hurt him. He just tried not to look at his friend's body, growing cold on the floor. She was so promising, both for defeating Ultraman and for everything else about her. A mixture of emotions and thoughts coursed through him. Anger at Ultraman for killing such a wonderful person, anger at himself and guilt for endangering her, and despair for what this meant for any efforts to defeat his enemy.

Ultraman told him, "For what it's worth, this was entirely your fault. You got her killed, attempting to kill someone who is just plain better than you in every way. You never stood a chance. And now, I'm not even going to kill you. I could, of course. But I want to watch you suffer, as you live every day, locked up, knowing that you were the one person with a chance of defeating me, and you screwed it up. I knew about your stockpile of everything that could hurt me. I kept a close eye on it as you gathered everything you could. Anything that could hurt me, all in one place. What a fucking idiot. You think I didn't know about Kara? You think my father didn't know that his brother was planning on sending his daughter to Earth? He told me everything. Or his projection did, anyway. I didn't know about Kryptonite, though, until you gathered up every scrap you could find so you could test it. And then, of course, my agent in your facility told me it could actually hurt Kryptonians."  
He frowned like he was trying to remember something. "What was her name? Laci? Don't remember. Not important. Point is, I've been ahead of you from day one, and you've delivered admirably. Thank you for ridding the world of anything that can hurt me."

He made a motion to the side with his head, and the bodyguards grabbed Lex and hauled him away.

* * *

The police had been called. Everything "by the book". Lex was thrown in the back of a truck, which started off through Metropolis. It was getting dark now, and that combined with it being a Sunday night meant that there was virtually no traffic on the roads. The driver and the guy in the passenger seat didn't know what was going on. They knew the building they'd come from, because of the spraypainted "U" symbol on the side that warned people to stay away. But they didn't know it was Lex Luthor they were transporting. They would only find out when they got to their destination, and found out that he was the first prisoner they'd transported who'd disappeared during transit. The officer sitting with him was unconscious.

The only thing he would say when he woke up, was, "The Bat. The Bat!"


	11. Chapter 11

The Batwing silently lifted off the ground and sped away, barely visible in the darkening sky. Bruce Wayne was sat in pilot's seat and put it on autopilot. He looked at his passenger briefly, then turned his attention back to the controls. The small craft's stealth capabilities would stop them from being picked up by radar, but if Ultraman caught wind of what had happened before they were out of the city, they could be in trouble.

Several minutes passed in silence before Lex said, "Bruce, I'm afraid I have to say it. This whole bat thing? It's kind of weird."  
Bruce didn't say anything. He expected that Lex would know his identity- they'd known each other a while back. They hadn't gotten on, as LexCorp were his competitors (and he thought the guy was annoyingly arrogant) but still, Lex was smart enough to figure it out. Especially given that they'd had some communication since Ultraman had come around, with him as Batman.  
Lex continued, "I know a guy. Really good, if you want someone to talk to-"  
"If you'd prefer to walk, I can let you out any time."  
Lex smiled and said nothing for a moment. Then, "Thanks for rescuing me. I know you're big on abiding by the law, other than smashing the faces of criminals."  
Bruce replied, "We should think of our next-"  
A light shone on the dashboard, and Bruce pressed a button. A corner of the windscreen showed Alfred Pennyworth, his butler. "Master Bruce, I have news regarding Mister Luthor's situation. His assets have all been frozen, and the facility where he was researching the Kryptonians has been, shall we say, appropriated, by the government."  
Bruce responded, "Thanks, Alfred."  
The window closed and Bruce told Lex, "The government is terrified of Ultraman, and that's making them sloppy. They're trying to make weapons, like us, but at the same time they're too afraid to use them. And there are some in the government that are supporting Ultraman for the promise of power."  
This time Lex stayed silent. After a while, Bruce told him, "I'm sorry about your friend."  
Lex didn't respond. He just waited until they got to wherever they were going.

When they got to the Batcave, Lex finally spoke. "You're a billionaire. And you live in a cave. You really should consider my offer."  
As they exited the small craft, Alfred came up to them. "Mister Luthor, a pleasure to meet you."  
Lex gave him a small smile and returned the pleasantry while Bruce led them up a flight of steps to a room with a computer that had a fair amount of equipment around it, and several monitors. Bruce sat down and logged in. "I've been tracking all the shipments of Kryptonite you've been gathering. I was hoping to grab some myself, but never got the opportunity. I've been trying to keep a low profile."  
Alfred told them, "Ultraman is sure to be trying to find you now. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes to Gotham. And the police will likely be less than willing to help."  
Bruce continued, "We'll have to be careful."  
He got to what he was looking for, and then said, "This could be a problem. They got all of it. There was a shipment from a museum in Central City that I was hoping we could get it from, but they've already been stopped by the CCPD."  
Lex replied, "Ultraman will be trying to have it destroyed."  
Bruce put a news broadcast on a monitor. It was showing that Patrick Harris had won the Senate race for his state. Bruce told them, "I suspect he'll prefer to use his proxies in government to do it."

* * *

The US midterm elections were always a time of excitement for anyone involved in politics. This one was different. And insane. People had gotten used to the idea of Ultraman being there. It shook up the last election, for certain. People were ashamed at their politicians for having cowed to Ultraman's demands, even though they knew there was no choice. There had been a massive shift towards the Democrats. But now people seemed to going completely the other way, ever since Reverend Patrick Harris had announced that Ultraman was, of all things, the Second Coming. A completely daft idea, to most.  
But to a small minority, they began to think. And they began to think harder when the religious establishment started to come to agree. Opinion polls among those who described their very as "very important" showed that almost forty percent were buying what Harris was selling.  
To most, it was just a mind-boggling idea that so many could believe in something so absurd.

But, of course, it started to have an effect. Politicians were being elected, mostly in Southern states, that agreed. They were still a minority, but they were significant.  
Trent Warner, whose talk show Political Capital was one of the most popular in the country, was constantly reeling now. And as he introduced his guests, he was both excited and appalled. "The results we're seeing are pretty shocking, we can all agree. A few years ago this would have been unthinkable. Who knew that Americans would vote like this?"  
One of the guests, Tom Routh, was from a group of secularists. "The answer to that," he said with a smile, "is that we did. We've been saying for a long time that if you believe one crazy idea, you can believe another. It's not hard to go from, 'God brought this guy back from the dead' to 'God brought this guy back from the dead again'. People really believe this stuff. So when something out of this world happens, they go, yeah, that makes sense."  
Another guest chimed in, "I don't really think that's fair. This isn't the fault of religion. There are a lot of religious people in America and only a small fraction of them believe what they're being fed. This is entirely for political expediency. Republicans want someone in office who will give them what they want. They were already dissatisfied with the last administration when Ultraman showed up, and see this as their chance to make radical change."  
This was what Trent loved. These kinds of conversations were fantastic. It went on for a few more minutes before Tyler brought on the head of a megachurch that had been preaching about Ultraman being Christ. That would give them some understanding of the mindset.

It was a great day to be involved with politics, but a terrible day to be American.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note:

I was intending on making this a bit longer but I'm starting to get tired of it, and it takes a fair bit of my time. So here's the final chapter. If anyone wants to lengthen it for me, just send me what you've got and I'll have a look.

The end is split into two options, because sometimes it's cool to see the villain win.

* * *

There were several weeks of research by Lex and Bruce, trying to find a way to defeat Ultraman. Lex had initially wanted to steal some Kryptonite from the government stores, but besides them being guarded by the military, there was now an Executive Order decreeing that it would be buried in an old underground facility originally designed for nuclear waste. No-one said why, of course, but every political analyst said Ultraman had likely threatened the President unless he did something about it.

So essentially it was inaccesible, and that left them trying to find another way. Lex's main idea was the discovery that Kryptonians absorbed certain kinds of radiation. He'd backed up all the data from his facility, and he was now sure that what they needed was to replicate the Kryptonite radiation. The problem was, they didn't have the technology. But Lex thought he knew who did.

"Bruce, I think I might have an idea. But you won't like it."  
Bruce came over and looked at his laptop screen. "His Fortress? What's the idea?"  
Lex hesitated while he tried to think of how to explain it. "He mentioned to me that a projection of his Kryptonian father had told him about Kara. That must have been on the computer. But while we've been able to read the data on it, our grasp of their software is limited. We can't run that program from here. The only two other computers capable of running it are at the fortress, and at my facility."  
"You want to break in to your old lab?"  
Lex shrugged. "It's the best idea I've got. Now that the Kryptonite is gone their security is much lighter. And the Fortress is, well, a fortress. Since we got in last time Ultraman has activated some kind of security measures. We can't get in, so it's got to be there."  
Bruce frowned but said, "I don't see a better option. But you should stay here. I'll go in."  
Lex smiled. "You are the Batman. I guess if one of us is going to sneak into a guarded building it should be you."  
Bruce asked him, "Are you sure we'll be able to interface with it?"  
"Yes, we built an interface to download the Kryptonian computer in the first place. We can upload it the same way. That'll be in the facility as well."  
Bruce nodded and told him, "Alright. I'll head out tonight."

* * *

Sneaking through the facility wasn't much of a problem. Bruce avoided the guards and found the equipment Lex had mentioned in a store room. The challenge was bringing to the pod, as he needed to wheel a cart through a corridor without alerting the guards. At one point, a guard looked at the cart intently while Bruce was hiding, clearly realising that it hadn't been there earlier. But then she shrugged and passed it. It would have been an amusing sight, seeing Batman pushing a metal trolley filled with equipment through the darkened facility. But eventually he got to where he was going, a room where they had been studying the technology of the pod a few hours earlier. Luckily they'd all gone home.  
Lex was in Bruce's ear. "When I was in charge, everyone stayed late working. I paid them overtime, of course, but they wanted to do it to get rid of Ultraman. I guess since then there's less motivation, what with the government having no nerve to actually use it against him."  
Bruce wheeled the cart up to the pod while he was talking and plugged it in. Lex directed him, and when all was done, Bruce pressed a button on the side of the pod, got in, and pressed another to close it back up.  
Lex was actively translating the controls as Bruce went, and said, "There, the symbol that has a figure-eight in it. Press that."  
Bruce did, and immediately heard a voice. "Bruce Wayne. Lex Luthor. I am Kal-El's father, Jor-El. You seek the means to defeat him."  
There was a moment while they got over the shock of hearing an artificial intelligence that seemed to know everything about them. Then Bruce told it, "Yes. We need a way to bring him to justice. Make him answer for his crimes."  
Lex heard it as well, not through the comm system but through the speakers, like he was hacking their systems. Lex added, "We need your help. You can generate the radiation that will subdue him, at the Fortress. We don't have the technology. Or a way in to the Fortress."  
Jor-El's disembodied voice replied, "I understand. We must work together. Take this key."

A black piece of metal rose from a central point in the panel. "Insert it into the console in the Fortress of Solitude. I will assist you there. My aspect in the Fortress is not aware of the situation, being in such a remote location. This will provide it with everything it needs. Now go, and good luck."  
The pod darkened, and Bruce took that as a signal to leave. When he did, he saw that someone was there. A scientist, by the looks of him. White lab coat, cup of coffee in one hand. As Bruce came out of the pod, in full Batman gear, he turned around, put the coffee on a table, and sat down at the computer next to it. He logged in and seemed determined to pretend Batman wasn't standing behind him. Bruce had to fight a grin as he left the room silently.

* * *

The following day, they approached the Fortress in the Batwing. Still, very few knew of its existence. Lex had only known because of his satellites taking images, and he'd ensured that no-one else caught wind- at the time to avoid Ultraman finding out he knew. Ultraman relied primarily on the fact that it was a relatively tiny building (if you could call it that) on a huge area of ice that few people ever went to.

But it was still surprisingly well locked up. The pillars that comprised it were too tight to get through, except for where they got in last time. An entrance, where there was a hole that looked very familiar. Lex put the key in and the door opened around it, leaving the key floating in mid-air, where Lex grabbed it again. Ultraman was nowhere in sight- he was rarely there, but if he had been, they'd have been dead.

As they entered, they heard a voice. "You are trespassing. Be warned, I have called for reinforcements. You must leave, now."  
Lex and Bruce looked at each other, knowing what that meant. Ultraman was on the way. Lex had the key, and ran to the console to put it in, as he did, he heard a thump behind him. Bruce slumped to the ground, and Ultraman was standing over him, in his full suit and cape. "Lex! You've finally shown yourself. What are you doing here, of all places?"  
He sounded like someone who had lost their pet mouse.  
Lex continued towards the console. He was about to jam in the key when Ultraman was there, holding his arm. "What do you have? Show me!"  
Lex's hand loosened, and his other grabbed the key as it slipped from his grasp. Then in it went, into the console.  
Ultraman shoved him hard to the side as a figure appeared on a nearby pedestal, several times their height.  
"Kal-El, what have you done?!"

* * *

As his father loomed over him, Clark felt a moment of annoyance. Why did they have to bring the old man into it? He was annoying enough during his lessons.  
He answered the rhetorical question with, "What you sent me here to do! I'm more powerful than all of these insects put together! Why would you send me here if not to rule over them?!"  
"My son, you are mistaken. Did you not hear me when I told you that my intention was for you to help them? To better them, and give them hope?"  
"I am helping them! Giving them purpose! You were right, I need more control over them. I need to be their ruler, and I wasn't doing that. But I've taken steps to address that. The government of this country is coming to my side. Soon, I'll have complete control, and then-"  
"ENOUGH! That is not your role. You have done things that are rephrensible. Do you think I designed the ship your cousin was sent in, so you could kill her?"  
Clark grew angrier at hearing about her. "My _cousin_ tried to kill me! She would only have threatened what I was doing! She _had_ to die!"  
Jor-El shook his head. "I see now what I've done. Given a flawed being the power to destroy a civilization. You were never meant for this. You were supposed to advance their society, but tear it apart and destroy their freedoms."  
"I've hurt them very little compared to what I'm giving them. Order! Stability! They'll never have to worry about the next change in leadership. I can give them a steady hand!"  
Jor-El looked at his son sadly. "You are attempting to make them worship you. As a deity. You are playing Rao and elevating yourself beyond your ability. I sent you here to try to do what is best for you, but I have ignored those you have power over. I should have done this long ago."  
A red glow emanated from the walls. Clark felt himself getting weaker. He shrieked, "What are you doing?!"

* * *

Ending 1:  
Ultraman moved to the console and tried to remove the key, but it was locked in. "Stop! I am your son! You can't do this to me!"  
It was fruitless, and soon he looked to Lex and strode over to where he was getting up. He grabbed him by the cuff and said, "This is your doing! You jealous, conniving, piece of shit! I'll fucking kill you!"  
Bruce was just now recovering, and as he saw Ultraman raging against Lex, he moved behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck, constricting it. Ultraman was dragged backwards as he let Lex go. He resisted, but Bruce was practiced, and he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.  
Bruce stood back from Clark Kent's body as the red glow faded. He was no longer Ultraman, and Bruce felt a great relief at it finally being done. Lex thanked him, and Jor-El said, "I am sorry for everything I have done to you. I never meant for this to happen. I see now that our civilization should be lost. It destroyed itself and even now it is inflicting pain on yours. No longer. This Fortress will soon be gone. You should leave, and please, ensure my son gets a fair trial. I will trust in your laws and systems to ensure that. Farewell."  
Bruce and Lex exchanged a look as Jor-El's figure disappeared from the pedestal and a deep rumbling started. They ran to grab Clark and rushed him out as the alien structure collapsed in on itself. Soon, there was an implosion within the rubble, and the surface fell in.  
They hauled him into the Batwing and headed home.

Ending 2:  
Clark could feel his power fading. He knew he had to act quickly, so he focussed as hard as he could on the console where the key had been inserted. Heat bored into it, and although he could feel it weakening, it did its job, and soon sparks were flying everywhere.  
A deep rumble filled the room, and the red glow stopped. Clark felt his strength slowly begin to return, and he grinned in elation. Lex looked at horror at the console, as the rumbling got more intense. A piece fell from the ceiling and Lex barely managed to get out the way, but his leg was pinned. Clark looked down at him and said, "Goodbye, Lex."  
He walked out calmly as pieces began to fall from the ceiling. The Fortress was coming down, but that was fine. He knew everything he needed to know, and the rest of the Kryptonian stuff bored him to tears anyway.  
As bits bounched off his head, he reflected that he would have to track down the rest of the Kryptonian tech, and make sure that was gone too. The last thing he needed was another fucking computer trying to go Hal on him.  
As the facility collapsed into itself completely, he watched, and then flew off, to his real home, and his rightful place as ruler of Earth.


End file.
